Disabled residents urged to share experiences of housing as part of MPs’ inquiry

Clive Betts, chair of the cross-party committee, said: “We have received a wealth of written evidence submissions for our inquiry but I hope this survey will help us hear directly from disabled people on their views and experiences of finding or adapting suitable housing.” 

Mr Betts said the committee would be hearing from a range of witnesses “in the coming months”, including a government minister. 

He said the inquiry will “explore what government, local councils and developers can do to deliver suitable housing for disabled people and what can be done to support disabled tenants in the private rented sector in England”. 

The committee is also looking at the National Planning Policy Framework and whether it ensures that housebuilding complies with the Equality Act 2010.

A policy paper published last year by the charity Centre for Homelessness Impact found that disabled people are significantly over-represented among populations experiencing homelessness.

Research by Foundations, the national body for home improvement agencies, in 2022 also found that 54% of housing association tenants have a long-term illness or impairment and 18% of new lettings are to someone with a defined disability. However 56% of those needing adaptations do not have them. 

The Housing Ombudsman has also published a string of findings where disabled residents have been let down by housing associations and councils. 

In a case last summer, Waverley Borough Council was ordered to pay out £13,000 after a resident with a disabled son was forced to install their own adaptations. 

The closing date for responses to the survey is 15 February.